An Appraisal of the Utilisation of Social Media for

AFRREV VOL. 11 (1), S/NO 45, JANUARY, 2017

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AFRREV VOL. 11 (1), SERIAL NO. 45, JANUARY, 2017: 115-135

ISSN 1994-9057 (Print) ISSN 2070-0083 (Online)

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/afrrev.v11i1.9

An Appraisal of the Utilisation of Social Media for Political

Communication in the 2011 Nigerian Presidential Election

Okoro, Nnanyelugo, Prof

Department of Mass Communication

University of Nigeria, Nsukka

E-mail: [email protected]

----------------------------------------------

Santas, Tsegyu

Doctoral Student,

Department of Mass Communication,

University of Nigeria, Nsukka

E-mail: [email protected]

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Abstract

The study is a survey aimed at examining the utilisation of social media for political

communication during the 2011 presidential election in Nigeria. The rationale behind

the study was to determine whether voters’ choice of presidential candidates was

influenced by their social media use. 249 respondents selected through random

sampling responded to 249 copies of questionnaire administered. The results of the

descriptive statistics show that majority of the respondents’ choice of presidential

candidates during the 2011 presidential election was influenced by the use of social

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media as indicated by high value of mean (1.5805). Similarly, the respondents were of

the opinion that the two selected presidential candidates were popular because they

used social media in their political campaign (mean value of 1.5575). In addition, the

respondents affirmed that their voting pattern during the 2011 presidential elections

was influenced by social media usage. This was validated by a high mean value of

(1.6667). Similarly, the result of the test of hypothesis indicated that voters’ choice of

political candidates was influenced by political communication on social media. The

findings further indicated that religious affiliations and ethnicity were also factors that

influenced voter’s choice of candidates. In view of the findings of this study, it was

therefore concluded that social media have redefined the landscape of political

communication in Nigeria and it should continue to be used in future elections in

Nigeria. It is also recommended that electorate should also ensure that they

deemphasized ethnic and religious considerations in their voting patterns in future

elections; only credible candidates should be voted into power.

Key words: Communication, Election, Politics, and Social media

Introduction

The influence of new media technology in political communication across the globe

cannot be overemphasized. In recent times, the social media are playing a dominant

role in political mobilization, participation and electioneering campaigns in both

developed and developing countries across the continent of the world. It is on record

that since President Barrack Obama of the United State of America efficient use of the

social media, there has been a growing use of new media technologies in facilitating

political communication in contemporary times. Obama’s victory is largely attributed

to the massive deployment of social media by his campaign organization which

provided inspiration to other world leaders. For instance, President Goodluck Jonathan

and other political candidates equally used the social media to execute their political

campaign during the 2011 presidential elections. Throughout history, political

campaigns have evolved around the advancing technologies that are available to

political candidates. As technology develops, politicians are able to deploy them to

facilitate the dissemination of their manifestos (Emruli & Baca, 2011 p. 155).

In Nigeria, the 2011 general elections were the first litmus test of the use of social

media by political parties, political candidates, and the civil society organizations. The

election was historic in the sense that it was the first time ever that new media

technologies like Facebook, Blogs, LinkedIn and other social networks facilitated

political communication and participation in Nigeria (Dagona, Karick, & Abubakar,

2013, p.2). Thus, these new media technologies have redefined methods of political

communication in contemporary times and thereby led to significant shift towards the

utilization of these modern tools in the electoral process. This new paradigm shift has



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challenged previous methods used for political communication where television, radio

and newspapers dominated coverage of political campaigns, and thus became the

primary source of election-related information. However, today, the social media have

become a major avenue where political parties and candidates connect with the

electorate to share vital information about their policies, programmes and manifestos.

Because of the ease, reach and speed associated with the social media, it has become a

tool revolutionizing the field of political communication globally. It is upon this

paradigm shift in the communication industry that this study appraised the utilization

of social media during the 2011 presidential electioneering campaign.

Statement of the Problem

Nigeria held its general election in 2011 which provided an opportunity for voters to

elect the president that would pilot the activities of the state for the next four years.

Apart from the conventional media of communication like radio, television and the

newspapers available to political candidates and major stakeholders in the

electioneering process to communicate their messages to the electorate, the social

media were massively deployed for the dissemination of political messages during the

elections.

It is an incontrovertible fact that new media technologies have become an integral tool

of political communication on a global scale. The medium is gradually becoming a

dependable tool in influencing and changing the opinions and behaviour of the public.

Recognizing the huge benefits derived from the social media for political

communication, Nigerian politicians have embraced and exploited it for political

campaigns during the 2011 presidential elections. According to Facebook statistics

(2010, p.2) “at least one million, seven hundred and fourteen Nigerians use the social

media especially Facebook, with a good number of them being young”. However, there

is no comprehensive knowledge of how this “new form of media” can facilitate as well

as impact on political communication in Nigeria. This study therefore investigated how

social media were utilized for political communication during the 2011 presidential

elections.

Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to basically evaluate the extent to which social media are

redefining the landscape of political communication in Nigeria. In doing this, the 2011

general election was critically examined to show how social media were used to

communicate political messages by the various presidential aspirants. The specific

objectives of the study are to:

(1) Assess the influence of social media on voter’s choice of political

candidates during the 2011 presidential election in Nigeria.



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(2) Find out whether the popularity of the presidential candidates during the

2011 presidential election has any significant relationship with their use

of social media.

(3) Determine the influence of social media on the voting pattern of the

electorate during the 2011 presidential election.

Research Questions

(1) To what extent did social media influence voters’ choice of political

candidates during the 2011 presidential election

(2) Was the popularity of presidential candidates during the 2011

presidential election influenced by their social media usage?

(3) To what extent did social media influence voting pattern of electorate

during the 2011 presidential election.

Research Hypotheses

Ho 1: Voter’s choice of political candidates in the 2011 presidential election was

not influenced by political communication on social media.

Ho 2: The popularity of Presidential aspirants in the 2011 general election has no

significant relationship with their social media use during the election.

Ho 3: Electorate voting pattern during the 2011 elections was not influenced by

their exposure to political messages on social media.

Significance of the Study

Being a relatively new field in the ever-dynamic field of communication in Nigeria, the

study will provide additional knowledge on the subject matter. It is hoped that the study

in its practical value will educate politicians and political parties on the importance of

social media in contemporary political communication, since social media tools are yet

to be fully explored for political campaigns in Nigeria. Also, this study will provide

insights to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and civil society

organizations in designing programmes that would promote the use of new media

technologies in the political process in Nigeria. Lastly, the findings of this study would

serve as a springboard for future research in the field of political communication.

Theoretical Framework: Uses and Gratifications Theory

Uses and Gratifications Theory provided the framework for this study. According to

Baran and Davis (2003), the origin of the theory is often credited to Herta Herzog. They

went further to establish that Herzog’s article entitled “motivations and gratifications

of daily serial listeners” was the first published research to provide an in-depth



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examination of media gratifications. Sweetser and Kaid (2008) opined that the theory

has been more recently used to determine the gratifications of entertainment media.

The theory also has a long history of investigating political information seeking

motivations.

Blumer and McQuail (1969) found that gratifications sought from watching political

broadcasts clustered into three constructs; political reason such as reinforcement or vote

guidance; surveillance for keeping up with the issues; and excitement such as seeing

which political party would win. With the development of the internet and its

subsequent deployment for the dissemination of political information, researchers have

applied the uses and gratifications perspective to online political information seeking.

Kaye and Johnson (2002) examined gratification for seeking political information

online and found that primary motivations to be guidance, information seeking and

surveillance, entertainment and social utility. These scholars also link media use

political attitudes and behaviours. To buttress this assertion, Kaye and Johnson (2002)

in a study reported that higher levels of self-efficacy are associated with information

seeking and surveillance, and higher interest in politics is correlated with accessing

political information online for social utility and information seeking surveillance.

The theory according to Anaeto, Onabanjo and Osifeso (2008, p.71) is concerned with

what people do with the media instead of what the media do to people. The major trust

of the theory subscribes to the assumption that consumers of mass media content

influence the effect of the mass media on them. Hence media consumers are not

passive but active in determining what they use the media for. Folarin (2005) observed

that mass media audience have some certain needs that are dear to them that is why

they are exposed to, attend to, and retain media messages because of the perceived

gratification derivable from such messages. The theory is relevant to this study

because users of social media feel that the medium will satisfy their curiosity and meet

their information need, and thus make them active participants in the political

communication process. Therefore, they are able to select specific messages on a

variety of social media platforms to connect to political activities within and outside

their geographical location.

Literature Review

An Overview of Social Media

According to Sherman (2000) the term “social media” was in 2007 coined by Danah

in Boyed of the school of information at the University of California and Nicole B.

Ellison of the Department of Telecommunications, information studies and media at

Michigan State University. Even though the term is usually regarded by several

people to mean the same with similar concepts like new media and social networking



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sites, however, the two concepts are not actually the same. In order to rightly

contextualize the concept of social media, it is imperative to consider what social

networking sites are. Boyd and Ellison (2008, P. 21) opined that “social networking

sites are web-based services that allow individuals to construct a public or semi-

public profile within a bounded system, articulates a list of other users with whom

they share a common connection, and view and traverse their list of connections and

those made by others within the system”. Boyd and Ellison’s definition provides us

with an understanding for describing social media. According to them, social media

is a medium that allows individuals to share important information with friends.

Social media therefore, is a subset of information communication technologies.

Corroborating Boyed and Ellison’s definition, Chijioke (2013) asserted that “social

media are simply internet based interactive platforms through which people can

create and exchange information in a participatory manner on a real-time basis.” He

went further to note that they are online democratic and participatory communication

channels that allow inhibited exchange of information and documents among users.

According to Arthur (2011), social media are internet-based tools and services that

allow users to engage with each other, generate content, distribute, and search for

information online. It is the interactive or collaborative nature of the medium that

makes them “social”.

In a nutshell, this paper defined social media as online tools that allow

communication of information online and make participation and collaboration

possible. Specifically, social media here is used to refer to Facebook, Twitter,

YouTube, Blogs, MySpace, Friendster, Linkedin and many others. The advent of the

internet which brought about the development of different forms of social media

platforms is increasingly supporting democratic participation and free flow of

information between individuals in emerging democracies. Citizens are not merely

consuming information content, but are privileged to become content producers,

thereby encouraging participatory democracy which is the hallmark of democracy.

Conceptualizing Political Communication

According to Agudosi (2007), political communication is the dissemination of

information about the functioning of a political entity in order to influence the

behaviour of the audience in a variety of ways. He went further to say that it is also

the interactive process concerning transmission of information among politicians, the

news media and the public. On the same view, Graber and Smith (2005) opined that

political communication involves the construction, sending, receiving, and

processing of messages that potentially have significant direct or indirect impact on

politics. Political communication is an increasingly important area in communication

and media studies. A study by Okoro and Diri (2009) has shown the importance of



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the media in contributing significantly in creating public awareness and mobilizing

participation in the political process. The media therefore help citizens to reach

informed decisions about what course of action to take and also offer the populace

the platform to be educated on political relevant information. It is on this premise

that Rush and Althoff (1972) cited in Akasoro (2011) conceived political

communication to be:

The process by which politically-relevant information is transmitted

from one part of the political system to another, and between the social

and political systems. It is a continuous process involving the

exchange of information between individuals and groups of

individuals at all levels of society, and includes not only the expression

of the views and wishes of members of society, but also the means by

which the views and proposals of those in power are transmitted to the

society and the latter’s reaction to those views and proposals.

From all the above definitions given by various scholars, political communication is

essentially important in a democratic society since the mass media are the purveyor

of political information and education of the electorates.

Review of Empirical Studies

According to Clark and Aufderheide (2009, p.1), social media are increasingly

becoming popular among politicians and their organizations as a means to disseminate

political messages, learn about the interest and needs of constituents and the broader

public, raise funds, and build networks of support. Lending credence to this assertion,

Hong and Nadler (2011) observed that in a very short space of time, politicians in

modern democracies across the world have eagerly adopted social media for engaging

their constituents, entering into direct dialogs with citizens and enabling vivid political

discussions. Raiz (2010) equally posited that in the past five years, elections conducted

in Africa witnessed a massive use of social media during electioneering campaigns by

key political figures, political parties and civil society organizations. This

development has made researchers in recent times to investigate the influence of social

media in the sphere of political communication. This perhaps explains why

researchers like Graber and Smith (2005) contend that a great deal of research efforts

has gone into assessments of the role played by new media in providing information

to those citizens and politicians alike who need to fulfil their civic duties.

A number of studies have been conducted by scholars on the growing influence of

social media during political campaigns, for instance, a study by Kushin and

Yamamoto (2010) attempted to determine whether social media usage actually impact

on political self-efficacy and involvement of electorates during the 2008 US



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presidential election. Their findings show that there was a drastic rise in the use of

social media by political candidates as well as the electorates. According to them, 27%

of young people reported obtaining political information from the social media.

Corroborating their finding, Owen, Soule, Nairne, Chalif, House., and Davidson,

(2011) remarked that the 2008 US election marked a breakthrough year for political

use of new media and social networks specifically. They further opined that social

networking websites played an especially innovative and important role in the

protracted primary race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Obama

subsequent victory at the main election was largely attributed to his massive use of the

social media during the electioneering campaigns.

Similarly, Warren (2009) investigated the use of social networking site Facebook in

2008 presidential election in America. The study was specifically design to analyze

whether Facebook might be a practical campaign tool to target young voters,

particularly college students. A survey research method was adopted for the study to

collect data from 212 students at the University of Central Missouri to determine if

Facebook was a viable campaign tool. The study concludes that college students that

participated in the political activities on Facebook felt more motivated to vote in 2008

presidential election and the students who had Facebook account had better identified

with the candidates due to their presence and the information they received on face

book.

McLaughlin and Osborne (1997, p.10) Cited in Alakali, Titus, Akpan and Tarnongo

(2013) revealed that nearly three-quarter (73%) of American internet users, or 54% of

all voters went online in 2010 for news or information about midterm elections or

communicate with others about campaign and the information voters are getting

online, appears to have sway. In addition, one third of respondents said the information

they saw online made them to vote for or against a particular candidate. This

underscored the role of social in the US presidential election.

In another related study, Larsson and Moe (2011) conducted a study on Twitter use

during the 2011 Swedish election and found that Twitter also serves as a channel for

disseminating political information and not for political dialog with the electorates.

Larsson and Moe study revealled that Swedish political elites see Twitter as a medium

to communicate political contents to the people and not necessarily as a tool to engage

the electorates in political conversation. On the contrary, Williams and Gulati (2009)

research on the extent of Facebook use by congressional candidates during election

campaigns, discovered that the number of facebook supporters can be considered a

valid indicator of electoral success. In the context of Dutch election, Utz (2009)

showed that social networking sites provided an opportunity for politicians to reach

individuals interested in politics. Their view of candidates’ profiles further



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strengthened their exiting attitudes. Confirming Utze’s study the Pew Research Centre

(2014) examined the use of new media techniques in Iowa and New Hampshire. The

aim of the study was to determine whether or not the websites of political candidates

were being utilized by potential voters. They found that 30% of likely voters in Iowa

and 29% in New Hamshire said they visited candidate’s websites. Roughly the same

percentage has viewed political candidate’s videos online as well. Meanwhile, quite

few of the respondents have joined a social networking page such as Facebook or

MySpace.

The 2011 general elections provided political aspirants the avenue to use social media

tools to connect with voters and constituents for the first time in Nigeria political

arena; for instance, Ekine (2010) reported that President Goodluck Jonathan had

nearly 3000,000 followers on his Facebook account following the step of president

Barrack Obama of the United State. Corroborating further, Okoro and Nwafor (2013)

conducted a study titled “social and political participation in Nigeria during the 2011

general elections: The lapses and the lessons”. The objectives of the study were to find

out the role played by social media in the political participation of Nigerians, observe

the lapses in the use of social media during the elections, and the lessons learnt from

social media use in the course of the election. The findings of their study revealled

that 93% of the respondents attested to the fact they used social media for political

participation during the election. Respondents also said they used different social

media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, SMS calls, and YouTube to participate during

the election. The study also identified some lapses in the cause of the use of social

media in the electioneering process.

Furthermore, civil society groups and activists were not left out in the political process.

Groups such as “Safe Nigeria Group”, “Vote or Quench”, “Enough is Enough”, “Light

up Nigeria” and “Sleeves up Nigeria”, and “Reclaim Naija”, among others were

formed in order to mobilize and create awareness for mass participation in the election.

Since these groups were mostly dominated by young people, they heavily employed

social media to initiate and put up a youth presidential debates, and share intelligence

to push forward the campaign for creditable elections on social media platforms. In

doing this, the mainstream media struck a working relationship with social media

platforms that enhance both citizen’s participation and professional journalist

practices.

Journalists from various media organizations in the country engaged with citizens on

Facebook and citizen’s contributions informed the journalist’s questions during

interview with political institution such as INEC. For instance, there was convergence

of different media of communication like the print media and television and social

networking sites to monitor, cover and report election proceedings from different



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polling stations. In regard to this, Channels Television features regular live coverage

through their websites, ipad, iphone, and other devices. During the elections, the

organization established a four-person social media team, with one each handling the

website, Twitter, Facebook, and the fourth feeding information from the newsroom to

the other three members of the team (Asuni & Farris, 2011). This therefore facilitated

simultaneous transition on Television, Twitter, and Facebook respectively. In the

same vein, Thisday Newspaper and Tell magazine were able to used Facebook to

update people with proceedings of the election as well as provided the avenue for

members of the public to post their comments on Facebook.

Methodology

The survey research design method was used to execute the study. The study utilized

the instrument of the questionnaire to collect data for the study. In collecting data for

the study, primary and secondary sources were used. For the primary data, the

questionnaire was used as an instrument to elicit response from the respondents.

The study population is made up of Mass Communication Department students of three

universities in North Central Nigeria. The schools include; Ibrahim Badamasi

Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State; Nasarawa State University, Keffi;

University of Mkar, Benue State. The study considered only students in 300 Level and

400 Level, and this formed the sample frame. The population (sum total) from these

institutions is 662.

The simple random sampling technique was used in the administration of

questionnaires to respondents in the three universities as follows: First, stratified

sampling was used, thus a total of 249 questionnaires were distributed to the

institutions.

The sample size was calculated using Guilford and Flruchter formula for estimating

sample size as presented below:

Where: N = Population size = 662

Q = alpha = 0.05

Thus, the sample size is 249

Secondly, simple random sampling technique was further adopted to select

respondents from the three selected schools. 113 copies were distributed to students of

the department of Mass Communication, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University,

Lapai, 68 copies of the questionnaire were administered to students in the department

NQ

N21



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of Mass Communication, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, and the other 68 copies of

the questionnaire were distributed to Mass Communication students of the University

of Mkar, Benue State. It is also instructive to note that this study was carried out during

the 2014/2015 academic session.

The data obtained from the study were analysed quantitatively in three stages: First,

frequency table was used to analyse the demographic data and other questions that

were framed in the questionnaire to elicit more information on the subject matter.

Second, descriptive statistics (Mean and Standard Deviation), were used to analyse

data on research objectives. While Chi Square was used to test the hypotheses of the

study. All the analysis was done using SPSS 16.0 version.

Results and Analysis

A total of 249 questionnaires were administered, only 194 were returned. This

represents 77.9% return rate. More so, out of the 194 that were retuned, only 174 were

filled correctly and used for the analysis, 20 were considered invalid.

Two items were used to examine the demographic features of respondents (see

appendix i). This included: Gender and age bracket. The analysis shows that the

majority of the respondents (53%) were females, while the remaining 47% were males.

Similarly, the age distribution also shows that majority of the respondents are within

the age bracket of 18 – 30 years (83.3%), while 12.6% were within 30 – 35 years. More

so, 3.4% of them were within the age bracket of 41 – 50 years and only 0.6% was

51years and above.

Furthermore, analysis of other questions that were framed in the questionnaire to elicit

more information on the subject (see appendix ii) matter shows that 100% of the

respondents affirmed that they use social media tools as a communication platform.

Similarly, 68.4% respondents said they have personal profile on Face book which they

constantly use. 14.4% have profile on Google, 4.0% on Twitter, 1.1% on MySpace,

2.3% on Flicker, 7.5% on Watt sap, 1.1% on LinkedIn, 0% on YouTube and 1.1% on

Blogs.

On the eligibility of the respondents, it was observed that 86.8% of the respondents

said they were eligible during the 2011 presidential election, while 26.4% claimed they

used Google, 9.2% said Twitter, 0.6% said MySpace, 0.6% Flicker, 2.9% Watt sap, 0%

on LinkedIn, 0% on YouTube and 2.91% used Blogs. The analysis further indicated

that 43.1% of the respondents often use social media to get political information during

the 2011 presidential election, 47.7% said very often, while 9% said rarely often.

While on their choice of presidential candidates, 45.5% of the respondents said they

voted President Goodluck Jonathan, 48.3% said they voted General Mohammadu

Buhari, while 6.3% of the respondents said they were not legible to vote during the



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2011 presidential election. Also, 44.8% of the respondents affirmed that if a political

candidate does not have a web page, they may be less likely to vote for them during

election, while the remaining 55.2% of the respondents said no. In addition, 7.5% of

the respondents said they were not eligible to vote during the 2011 presidential election.

In addition, 23.0% said what influenced their decision to vote during the presidential

election was based on political party consideration, 0.8% said political pedigree of the

contestants, 14.4 said religious affiliation, 7.3% said ethnic consideration, while the

remaining 6.9% voted base on the influence of social media use by the two presidential

candidates.

As a follow-up question to question 13 which required respondents to explain which

factor had the most influence on their decision to vote for the presidential candidates

of their choice during the 2011 presidential election. Over 70% of the respondents

admitted that they were motivated to vote for President Muhammad Buhari because of

his unassailable record as past head of State. Furthermore, the respondents affirmed

that they voted for him because he is a Northerner thus they feel obliged to support a

presidential candidate from their geo-political zone. This clearly shows that the

respondents were greatly influenced to vote for General Mohammad Buhari because of

their ethnic affiliation. In addition, a considerable number of respondents also attested

to the fact that Buhari’s impeccable character of zero tolerance to corruption and a high

sense of integrity endeared him to them. On the other hand, other respondents were of

the opinion that they voted for President Goodluck Jonathan because of his religious

affiliation. Some of the respondents said they were made to believe that General

Mohammad Buhari is a religious fanatic, hence they were afraid if he is voted into

power he will Islamize the country. A fraction of the respondents also said they voted

President Goodluck Jonathan because of his political party (PDP) which has a strong

structure and track record since the inception of the fourth republic in 1999.

Table 1 below presents the result of the descriptive statistics on the items that were

used to measure objectives of the study. Analysis of the result indicates that majority

of the respondents’ choice of presidential candidate during the 2011 presidential

election was influenced by the use of social media as indicated by high value of mean

(1.5805). Similarly, a large number of respondents believed that the presidential

candidates were popular because they used social media (mean value of 1.5575).

Furthermore, the respondents affirmed that their voting pattern during the 2011

presidential election was influenced by social media usage as shown by high mean

value (1.6667).



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Source: Author’s Computation, 2015

Test of Hypotheses

Hypothesis One: The first hypothesis was to test whether voter’s choice of political

candidates in the 2011 presidential election was not influenced by political

communication on social media. The results are presented in the tables below:

Table 2: Was your choice of President Goodluck Jonathan/ General Muhammadu

Buhari during the 2011 presidential election influenced by the use of social media?


Table 1: Descriptive Statistics on Research Questions

Mean

Std.

Deviation

Was your choice of President Goodluck Jonathan/

General Muhammadu Buhari during the 2011

presidential election influenced by the use of social

media?

1.5805 .59075

Do you think that the two presidential aspirants were

popular because they utilized social media in their

political campaigns?

1.5575 .49812

Was your voting pattern during the 2011 presidential

election influenced by social media usage? 1.6667 .55175

Valid N (listwise)

Observed N Expected N Residual

Not Applicable 9 58.0 -49.0

Yes 55 58.0 -3.0

No 110 58.0 52.0

Total 174



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Table 2 presents the result of the observed and expected frequency on whether or not

the choice of presidential candidates of respondents was influenced by the use of social

media. It was observed that only 55 of respondents affirmed that their choice was

influenced by the use of social media, 110 respondents said no while 9 of the

respondents indicated that they were not eligible to vote during the 2011 presidential

election.

Table 3: Chi Square Statistics Table

Was your choice of President Goodluck Jonathan/

General Muhammadu Buhari during the 2011

presidential election influenced by the use of social

media?

Chi-Square 88.172a

Df 2

Asymp. Sig. .000

a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected frequencies less than 5. The minimum expected cell

frequency is 58.


Table 3 presented the result of Chi square. The result shows that the value of chi- square

calculated X2 = 88.172 with the degree of freedom = 2, which is significant 0.000 at

1% level of significant. Therefore, based on the result (table 3), the null hypothesis is

rejected and alternative is accepted. This means that voter’s choice of political

candidates in the 2011 presidential election was influenced by political communication

on social media.

Hypothesis Two: The second hypothesis was formulated to test whether the popularity

of the presidential candidates during the 2011 presidential election

was as a result of social media usage. The results are presented in

the tables below:

Table 4 below presents the result of the observed and expected frequency on whether

or not the popularity of presidential candidates was as a result of the use of social media.

A total of 77 respondents affirmed that the presidential candidates were popular

because they used social media, while 97 respondents were of the opinion that

presidential candidates’ popularity was not linked to social media usage.



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Table 4: Do you think that the two presidential aspirants were popular because

they utilized social media in their political campaign?


Yes 77 87.0 -10.0

No 97 87.0 10.0

Total 174



Test Statistics

Do you think that the two presidential aspirants

were popular because they utilized social media

in their political campaigns?

Chi-Square 2.299a

Df 1

Asymp. Sig. .129

a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected frequencies less than 5. The minimum

expected cell frequency is 87.0.


Table 5 presents the result of chi square test statistics on whether the popularity of the

presidential candidates during the 2011 presidential election was as a result of social

media usage. The result shows the calculated value of chi square X2 = 2.299 and the

degree of freedom = 1, 0.129 > 0.01., which is not significant Thus, based on the result

above, we accept the null hypothesis and reject the alternative. This means that the

popularity of Presidential aspirants in the 2011 general election has no significant

relationship with their social media use during the election.

Hypothesis Three: The third hypothesis was formulated to test whether respondents’

voting pattern during the 2011 presidential election was influenced by the use

of social media. The results are presented in the tables below:



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Table 6: Was your voting pattern during the 2011 presidential election influenced

by social media usage?


Table 6 presents the result of the observed and expected frequency on whether the

voting pattern of respondents was influenced by the use of social media during the 2011

presidential election. It was found out that only 44 respondents affirmed that their

voting pattern was influenced by the use of social media while 123 respondents said

no. However, a total of 7 respondents indicated that they were not eligible to vote

during the 2011 presidential election.


Test Statistics

Was your voting pattern during the 2011 presidential

election influenced by social media usage?

Chi-Square 121.069a

Df 2

Asymp. Sig. .000

a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected frequencies less than 5. The minimum

expected cell frequency is 58.0.


As presented in table 7 above, the result of the Chi square calculated X2 = 121.069, and

the degree of freedom = 2, being significant at 0.000 at 1% significant level. Based on

the result as presented in the above table, the null hypothesis is rejected and the

alternative accepted. This means that the electorate voting pattern during the 2011

elections was influenced by their exposure to political messages on social media.

Summary of Findings

Based on the analysis of the results, the following are the findings:


Not Applicable 7 58.0 -51.0

Yes 44 58.0 -14.0

No 123 58.0 65.0

Total 174



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1. Most of the respondents (53.4%) are within the age bracket of 18 to 30

years of age.

2. Majority of the respondents (83.3%) are females and they very often use

the social media to get political information during the 2011 presidential

election.

3. Face book is the most utilized social media tool by the presidential

candidates during the elections.

4. The first and third hypothesis were significant, thus the null hypotheses

were rejected.

5. The second hypothesis was not significant, therefore the null hypothesis

was accepted, while the alternative was rejected.

Implications of Findings

The findings of this study attest to the fact that majority of people who use social media

to get political information are predominantly youths. The implication of this is that,

more youths are now being mobilized to participate in the political process through the

social media where their opinions and voices can be heard.

Voter’s choice of political candidates during electioneering campaigns was to a greater

extent influenced by politician’s use of social media. However, respondents also

affirmed that other factors such as political experience of a candidate, integrity, past

records, achievements, and political affiliation (political party) were among the factors

that influenced their voting pattern. The implication of this import is that apart from

the social media, other intervening variables plays a greater role in the voting patterns

of electorate during the elections. This reveals that voting pattern in Nigeria is influence

by these factors.

Based on the findings of the study, Facebook ranked highest among the several social

media platforms available to the electorate for political engagement during election

campaigns. This, therefore, suggests that, for Nigerian politicians to remain relevant in

contemporary politics, they have to utilize the social media so as to woo their supporters

who are mostly young people.

With the emergence of social media, traditional means of political campaigns is

gradually changing to modern means of communication. The implication of this is that

politicians must acquaint themselves with this new paradigm shift if they must mobilize

the youths in future elections.

Conclusion

In view of the findings of this study, it was concluded that social media have redefined

the landscape of political communication in Nigeria. This phenomenal change is



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brought about by development of new media technologies such as the internet and other

social media platforms. Political candidates now use these communication platforms to

engage with the electorate during political campaign. The electorate on the other hand,

finds these tools very effective to connect with their political representatives or

candidates as it is the only medium that gives them free and unlimited access to stay

connected with happenings in the political sphere.

Recommendations

Based on the findings of this study, the researchers, therefore, made the following

recommendations:

1. Nigerian politicians should continue to use the social media to engage

the electorate during political campaigns especially the youth who are

avid users of the social media.

2. Based on the findings of this study, Facebook is the most utilized social

media platform by the presidential candidates. The study therefore

recommends that in future elections, other social media platforms likes

YouTube, Instagram, and Blogs should by employ by politicians during

electioneering campaigns.

3. Nigerian electorate should ensure that their voting pattern in future

elections should not be by influenced by political candidate’s religious

affiliations or ethnic considerations but on the credibility of candidates.

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Documents

An Appraisal of the Utilisation of Social Media for